Historic Hotels of America^® offers travelers memorable ways to experience holiday traditions, many of which date back decades, if not centuries. Gingerbread houses are a German creation, perhaps inspired by, or popularized by, the fairytale "Hansel and Gretel" in the early 1800s. Immigrants to the United States brought ginger and gingerbread traditions with them. As an art form for pastry chefs and a sweet treat for children, gingerbread decorating is a tradition to unite the generations, and gingerbread displays are the centerpieces of elegant lobbies at the world’s most prestigious hotels. Year after year, legendary hotels, resorts, and inns create magnificent gingerbread displays to delight and inspire guests. The displays featured on The 2024 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Magnificent Gingerbread Displays list are the result of thousands of hours of culinary, pastry, confectionary, engineering, and carpentry teams working for weeks, and even months, to design, create, mix, bake, build, and, of course, decorate. Collectively, the ingredients of these displays add up to thousands of pounds of sugar, eggs, and flour; hundreds of pounds of spices; more than 10,000 individual candies; and hundreds of gallons of molasses and honey. Guests can visit any of the hotels on the list this December and discover how sweet history can be at Historic Hotels of America’s member hotels.

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Candy Cargo Ship at JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District (1912) Savannah, Georgia. Credit: JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District and Historic Hotels of America.

The Omni Homestead Resort (1766) Hot Springs, Virginia

The Omni Homestead Resort, designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, in Hot Springs, Virginia, is known for its extensive holiday decorations and displays, including spectacular gingerbread displays. This year, a gingerbread replica of the main building of the historic resort is on display just off the lobby. If guests follow their noses, they cannot miss it, as the scent of gingerbread fills the room. The edible gingerbread display includes two wings of the main building meeting at the grand central tower, complete with the iconic clock tower. Colorful candy sticks and peppermint candies line the edges of the structure, with generous dustings of powdered sugar atop the golden-brown roof. The Omni Homestead Resort was inducted as a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America in 1989 and dates to 1766.

The Red Lion Inn (1773) Stockbridge, Massachusetts

The Candy House at The Red Lion Inn has returned for this year’s holiday season. This display contains no baked gingerbread, but it certainly packs on the candy, and for that it earns its place among other legendary holiday displays. Measuring 62 inches long, 21.5 inches wide, and 31 inches tall, the Candy House weighs approximately 120 pounds. Transportation of the display from the staging area to the historic Main Dining Room required six team members, the removal of a door, an industrial cart, an elevator, and two guides to direct the placement. But long before then, more than 40 team members at The Red Lion Inn spent 40 hours planning, designing, and shopping for ingredients. Construction and decoration required 128 hours, and it involved the creative minds and time of more than 40 members of the inn’s team to put on the finishing touches. The Candy House has been a tradition at the inn, which dates to 1773, for many years. The Red Lion Inn was inducted as a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America in 1989 and, famously, is featured in Norman Rockwell’s iconic work Home For Christmas (1967).

Ingredient Spotlight:

• 4.75 feet of Ribbon Candy
• 5 pounds of Victorian Glass Candies
• 4 pounds of Licorice Bites
• 3.5 pounds of Jujyfruits
• 2.8 pounds of Mike and Ike Candies
• 2.65 pounds of Sprinkles
• 1.5 pounds of Spree Candies
• 1,840 Necco Wafers
• 628 PEZ Candies
• 597 Berry Gems
• 300 Charms Squares
• 287 Fruit Drops
• 245 Pillow Mints
• 226 Gumdrops
• 202 Peppermint Candies
• 168 Wintergreen Mint Candies
• 124 Vanilla Barrels
• 112 Peppermint Sticks
• 105 Butterscotch Drops
• 80 Licorice Whips
• 2 Chocolate Lions

Woodstock Inn & Resort (1793) Woodstock, Vermont

The “pastry elves” at Woodstock Inn & Resort in Woodstock, Vermont, create a unique gingerbread house each year to delight guests and visitors. This season, they drew inspiration from the houses of Woodstock. While not depicting one house in particular, the gingerbread house is a representation of the local Woodstock homes, which were built in the 19th century, decorated to celebrate the annual Wassail Weekend. The display is built in the lobby for the holiday season, where the scents of ginger and cinnamon greet guests. The display is up in time for the annual Woodstock Wassail Weekend (December 13-15) and can be viewed through New Year’s Day. This year's gingerbread house is 66 feet tall, 4.5 feet wide, and 6.5 feet long. Six members of the bakeshop and carpenter teams worked together to create the structure. The design and baking began in September, and the pastry chefs baked 40 pieces of gingerbread a day before assembling the entire house in two days in early December. Children are invited to enter the gingerbread house, where they can write a letter to Santa, enjoy a sweet treat, and sit by the fireplace, which was installed inside the house. During the holidays, visitors can decorate a small gingerbread house to take home. Gingerbread displays have been a tradition at the Woodstock Inn & Resort for the past seven years. Executive Pastry Chef Philippe Niez brought the tradition over from his time spent working in the Black Forest region of Germany. Every year, the gingerbread house is a labor of love that gives the resort’s entire pastry team, “the pastry elves,” space to show their creativity and share holiday joy with their guests. Woodstock Inn & Resort was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2016 and dates to 1793.

Omni Bedford Springs Resort (1806) Bedford, Pennsylvania

Omni Bedford Springs Resort’s 2024 gingerbread display is a dazzling, life-size carousel featuring intricately detailed animals that gently move up and down, mesmerizing guests as they enter the lobby. The creation of this heartwarming gingerbread carousel was a community effort led by the resort’s Executive Pastry Chef, Harshal Naik, and supported by his talented culinary team and local students. Since May, they passionately worked on every intricate detail, from planning and baking, to assembling and decorating. To ensure structural stability, the Bedford County Technical Center’s carpentry class skillfully built the carousel's framework. Constructed from an impressive 5,100 gingerbread bricks, the carousel is cleverly designed as a semicircle, with mirrors creating the illusion of a full, rotating structure. The display incorporates 450 pounds of gingerbread, 150 pounds of white chocolate, 100 gallons of marshmallows, and a vibrant array of candies, adding both sweetness and charm. The carousel is adorned with photos of Chef Harshal Naik’s team, while its larger elements pay tribute to Naik’s family: their names are written on the display in frosting. The gingerbread display is located inside the main entrance of Omni Bedford Springs Resort. Visitors can enjoy the magnificent gingerbread creation throughout December, along with a variety of other holiday activities. These include gingerbread house decorating, a holiday cocoa bomb workshop, breakfast at the North Pole with Santa, and the Grand Illumination tree lighting. The resort’s holiday offerings make it the perfect destination for festive family fun. The gingerbread displays at Omni Bedford Springs Resort are a cherished annual tradition. Over the years, they have evolved into increasingly elaborate and creative designs, showcasing the pastry team’s artistry and the local community’s involvement. This year’s carousel builds on that legacy, offering guests a timeless holiday tradition. Omni Bedford Springs Resort, built in 1806 and a member of Historic Hotels of America since 2008, was designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark in 1984.

The Willard InterContinental, Washington, D.C. (1818) Washington, D.C.

Gingerbread displays are a time-honored tradition at The Willard InterContinental, Washington, D.C. These delicious works of art often appear just off the lobby in early December in the form of edible replicas of the hotel or local landmarks, and sometimes they are the result of collaboration between the hotel and local students. This year, the 2024 gingerbread display is credited to 30 students from Frederick Community College's Hospitality, Culinary, and Tourism Institute (HCTI) in Frederick, Maryland, and depicts nine structures and three statues on the National Mall. They commenced work on the gingerbread display project in June and unveiled it on December 9. The display is four feet wide and twelve feet long. The tallest gingerbread structure within the display is the Washington Monument, which stands at 3 feet tall. Other landmarks depicted are the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the East Building of the National Gallery of Art, the seasonal ice skating rink at the Sculpture Garden, the Pollinator Garden at the National Museum of Natural History, the Peace Monument, the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, the President James A. Garfield Monument, the U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian Castle, the National Museum of Asian Art, and the Freer Gallery of Art. The project's overarching goal was to capture maximum realism, while preserving the whimsy and nostalgia of a classic gingerbread display. The 2024 gingerbread display at The Willard InterContinental, Washington, D.C. is located within the ante-lobby. The Willard InterContinental, Washington, D.C. was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2010 and dates to 1818. It was recently recognized for its excellence in hospitality and preservation as the recipient of the Best City Center Historic Hotel for the 2024 Historic Hotels of America Annual Awards of Excellence.

French Lick Springs Hotel (1845) French Lick, Indiana

Gingerbread is a time-honored tradition at French Lick Springs Hotel, and the historic hotel’s holiday display is never a half-baked effort. Work began on the 2024 gingerbread display nearly a year ago, while the 2023 gingerbread display was still up. The hotel’s bakery chefs prepared 300 pounds of gingerbread and put in 352 total hours of work to create this festive gingerbread house, which is eagerly anticipated by guests every holiday season. All in all, they used 500 pounds of sugar and 8 pounds of spices (including ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg) to build the gingerbread house. Bakery chefs Princess McCallister, Brittany Fisher, and Tiffany Dampier concoct a fresh design each year, and this year’s gingerbread display highlights the warmth of the holiday season. Located on the upper level of the hotel’s event center, the 2024 gingerbread house features a cobblestone fireplace and an edible roof that looks like a patchwork quilt. If visitors cannot find this year’s display, they just need to follow their noses. The 8-feet-tall gingerbread house is 100% edible, and the warm aroma of ginger fills the halls of the hotel. The display will be up through the first week of January 2025. French Lick Springs Hotel was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2000 and dates to 1845.

Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama

Situated on 550 acres on Mobile Bay in Point Clear, Alabama, the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa has been known as “The Queen of Southern Resorts” for over 175 years. In record time this year—just 23 days—Executive Pastry Chef Kimberly Lyons and her team built the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa’s annual gingerbread display in the historic Alabama resort’s lobby, which debuted on Friday, November 1, 2024. An annual “Grand Tradition” since 2006, the gingerbread display offers guests a sweet tour of the historic Main Building (which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places) and the surrounding grounds of the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa through this larger-than-life gingerbread village. The gingerbread display is a replica of the resort’s historic Main Building that was built in the 1940s, and Bucky’s Lounge, Bayside Grill, the activity lawn, and other features of the resort, which were constructed using delectable icing, candy, and spice cake. Chef Kimberly and her team used 150 pounds of icing, 75 pounds of flour, 25 pounds of sugar, 14 pounds of shredded coconut, 1,000 gumdrops, and 30 different types of candies. The display measures 18 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 3 feet tall at its tallest point. Making the tradition into a game every year, Chef Kimberly and her team hide nuggets of fun throughout the display to see if guests can find them.

Some of the hidden references this year include:

• A Butterfly Tree, an homage to the monarch butterflies that migrate through the resort every October.
• Snowman Chefs, each representing a member of the resort’s culinary team.
• Michael Herzog, the resort’s General Manager.
• Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa’s friendly ghost, who loved the resort so much that they never left.
• 3 Beach Bikes, a great way for guests to get around the resort.
• A Wedding Cake, a nod to the many joyful occasions held at the resort over the past year.
• Nitro, Chef Kimberly’s pet dog, who has grown over the past 12 months.

Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2011 and dates to 1847.

Mohonk Mountain House (1869) New Paltz, New York

The annual gingerbread display at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York, consists of a whimsical and delicious collection of displays selected from the annual Hudson Valley Gingerbread Competition, hosted by the resort and in its tenth year in 2024. Displays are chosen by a panel of judges, and up to 15 of the entries are displayed throughout the main house in December. Out of the 40 submissions the competition accepts each year, the judges choose first, second, and third place for both adult and junior categories. Creativity is key, and entries depict everything from robots, fairy houses, and dinosaurs, to classic cottages. Each entry, combined with a base, must not be larger than 24 inches high, 24 inches wide, and 24 inches long. The bakers who submit these works of edible art begin working months in advance. The historic resort also hosts in-person voting on competition day for a “people's choice award,” selected by resort guests and visitors. Visitors who want to attend the competition day but not stay at the resort can purchase a Gingerbread Pass for $15, fully donated to The Regional Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, allowing access to view the winners throughout the main house. In addition to the competition day, guests can purchase the Gingerbread Pass for select dates until the end of the year to view the gingerbread display, take a self-guided Christmas tree tour, enjoy the festive decor, take advantage of sales in the gift shop and spa retail store, and benefit from special rates for ice skating at the outdoor pavilion. Mohonk Mountain House, built in 1869 and a member of Historic Hotels of America since 1991, was designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

St. James Hotel (1875) Red Wing, Minnesota

For the past four years, the St. James Hotel’s Pastry Chef, Amy Zerwas, has introduced a sweet bit of holiday cheer to the hotel’s lobby in the form of a magnificent gingerbread display. Initially introduced during the pandemic to spread holiday cheer to the hotel’s staff, designing and building the historic hotel’s holiday gingerbread display has emerged as a new tradition for the team, and one that guests can enjoy, too. This year’s magnificent gingerbread display is a replica of the historic Red Wing Depot, a train station designed by Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad architect J.U. Nettenstrom. The depot opened to the public in 1905, and while it was later replaced by a modern station, it was restored in 1991 and now serves as a local art gallery. The sweeter, smaller version of this historic depot can be found November 24, 2024, through January 1, 2025 in an alcove in the main lobby of the St. James Hotel and is complemented by the hotel’s annual display of model trains. Chef Zerwas oversaw the planning, mixing, construction, and decorating of the display. The St. James Hotel, built in 1875 and a member of Historic Hotels of America since 1994, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa (1886) Eureka Springs, Arkansas

1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa invites guests to take part in a special holiday tradition this year: an interactive gingerbread display in the hotel lobby. The centerpiece is a gingerbread replica of the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa’s historic building, designed and decorated by the hotel’s talented baker, Jordan Gresham. It is joined by smaller gingerbread houses created by guests throughout the month of December, forming a festive village that grows throughout the holiday season. This delightful display features more than 100 pounds of gingerbread, 30 pounds of royal icing, and 50 pounds of assorted candies. The centerpiece is a frosted cookie masterpiece, complete with white sugar icicles and glowing, multicolored windowpanes. The hotel’s iconic hip and gable roof is a red, white, and green crown atop this gingerbread display, made of red and white frosting and red and green gumdrops. Guests and visitors are encouraged to decorate their own gingerbread houses and add them to the Ozarks resort scene, contributing to the spirit of creativity and togetherness. Introduced in 2021, this cherished tradition was inspired by the staff’s desire to create a memorable holiday experience for all. Nestled in the Ozarks, where local healing waters once attracted visitors, 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, built in 1886 and a member of Historic Hotels of America since 2000, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Hotel Colorado (1893) Glenwood Springs, Colorado

The life-size, interactive holiday gingerbread display at Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, wraps around the hotel’s Legends Coffee & Gift Shop, and invites guests to enjoy a seriously sweet shopping experience. The gingerbread house is 16 feet high, 12 feet long, and 14 feet wide, and was built using 311 pounds of gingerbread and 8 gallons of frosting. Four team members worked together for over a week to bake, build, and decorate the sweet and spiced gingerbread display. The gingerbread display at Hotel Colorado is a time-honored tradition and has been a major part of the hotel’s holiday displays for the past 15 years. Although it has moved locations a few times, it is now a tradition to build the gingerbread display around the exterior of Legends Coffee & Gift Shop. Naturally, with over 300 pounds of gingerbread displayed, the halls of this historic hotel are filled with the aroma of molasses and ginger. The gingerbread house is on display as part of the hotel’s large-scale holiday decorations. The hotel is open to anyone to visit, take photos, and enjoy the beautiful gingerbread display. Located in the great Rocky Mountains, Hotel Colorado is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2007 and dates to 1893.

The Jefferson Hotel (1895) Richmond, Virginia

The annual gingerbread display at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, is a time-honored tradition. Every year, the hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef imagines a new holiday scene to enchant visitors and staff alike. The theme for this year’s display is “Santa’s Spectacular Snow Globe,” dreamed up by Executive Pastry Chef Sara Ayyash. Past displays have included Santa’s Biplane, Santa’s Steam Engine, The Elves’ Village, the Night Before Christmas, and Santa’s Sweet Shop. Santa’s Spectacular Snow Globe features Santa in his regal gingerbread chair, sipping hot chocolate by the fireplace. The elf sitting on the fireplace mantel is dangling a feather for the cat to play with, while the mouse watches from a safe spot under the tree. This tableau is contained within a plastic globe, set atop a beautifully decorated and fragrant gingerbread base. Measuring 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide, the gingerbread display weighs 1,800 pounds and required a team of six pastry chefs, who spent more than 550 total hours to complete the display. Along with 450 pounds of gingerbread and 200 pounds of royal icing, the display contains 90 pounds of fondant to cover the handmade stocking, elf, cat, mouse, teddy bear, hot cocoa mug, holiday bows, Christmas lights, holly leaves, poinsettias and more. Over 100 pounds of candy adorn the display, including 200 feet of Nerds Ropes, 10 pounds of candy canes, and 10 pounds of gumdrops. The gingerbread display is located in the Palm Court Lobby of the hotel, adjacent to the hotel’s reception desk. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, The Jefferson Hotel was inducted as a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America in 1989 and dates to 1895.

The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco (1907) San Francisco, California

For more than a century, The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco has enchanted guests with its joyful holiday festivities and seasonal ambiance in “The City by the Bay.” One of the hotel’s most spectacular annual traditions is its stunning gingerbread house. At the end of November each year, the hotel lobby transforms into one of the world’s most beloved holiday destinations, where cherished memories are made by locals and visitors alike. The highlight of this awe-inspiring exhibit is the glowing, two-story Victorian-style gingerbread house, adorned with more than 1,900 pounds of sweets, and located in the hotel’s grand lobby. The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco’s talented culinary and engineering professionals worked for a combined 970 hours to build and decorate this year’s display. When they finished in November, the 2024 gingerbread house stood at more than 25 feet tall, 35 feet long, and nearly 11 feet wide, and included thousands of homemade gingerbread bricks, and more than a ton of royal icing and candy decorations. If guests want to fully experience the holiday magic, visitors can book Afternoon Tea, dinner, or other celebrations for up to 10 guests at a table inside the gingerbread structure. Guests and visitors are invited to experience this year’s gingerbread display now through New Year’s Day 2025. Then, the edible portions of the display will be composted, and the frame will be disassembled and stored until it’s brought out for the 2025 holiday season. A Beaux-Arts-style masterpiece designed by Julia Morgan, The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2001 and dates to 1907.

Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa (1901) Honolulu, Hawaii

As the first hotel in Waikiki, Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa has enchanted guests every holiday season with its joyful seasonal ambiance and festivities since it opened in 1901. This holiday season, the historic hotel presents an enchanting experience: a spectacular gingerbread house display inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), ideal for visitors and locals alike looking for holiday magic in Hawaii. The intricate design of the gingerbread display brings the holiday spirit to life with a playful, slightly spooky twist inspired by the beloved The Nightmare Before Christmas theme. This impressive display debuted on December 10, 2024, and will be up through New Year’s Day 2025. In the historic lobby, guests are welcomed by the impressive gingerbread display alongside a stunning two-story Christmas tree, creating a festive and enchanting holiday atmosphere. Pastry Chef Carmen Montejo and her small but mighty team of two worked 80 hours over the course of a month to build the display. Decked out in colorful candy decorations, Moana Surfrider's life-size gingerbread house is a masterpiece crafted from thousands of gingerbread bricks, gallons of egg whites, and hundreds of pounds of candy and icing, creating an indulgent holiday display. Measuring 5 feet in length and width, and 6 feet tall, and weighing approximately 500 pounds, this year’s display required 100 pounds of flour, 40 pounds of sugar, a half-gallon of food coloring, and 1,000 candies. Gingerbread displays have been part of this historic hotel’s holiday traditions for more than 20 years. Known as the "First Lady of Waikiki," Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was inducted as a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America in 1989.

The Otesaga Hotel (1909) Cooperstown, New York

The pastry chefs at The Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, New York, have “hit one out of the park” with their latest creation: a gingerbread version of historic Doubleday Field, a baseball stadium that has welcomed everyone from Little Leaguers to Hall of Famers. The small village of Cooperstown, home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is often credited as being the birthplace of baseball. Though it seems fitting that the town’s legendary historic hotel would create a sweet tribute to America’s pastime, this is the first time in 30 years that The Otesaga Hotel’s gingerbread display has paid homage to the sport that made the village so famous. The display is 16 inches tall, 86 inches long, and 55 inches wide. It took lots of sweet ingredients to make it, including 150 pounds of powdered sugar, 30 pounds of crispy rice cereal, 5 pounds of other types of cereal, 25 pounds of gingerbread dough, 10 pounds of shredded coconut, and 10 bags of candy. By the time that this sweet-smelling gingerbread ballpark was ready for its opening day, the culinary team had gone into plenty of extra innings, spending hundreds of hours mixing, rolling, cutting, baking, assembling, and decorating. Guests of The Otesaga Hotel, which opened in 1909 and predates the real Doubleday Field by 11 years, can see the gingerbread replica in the resort’s main lobby throughout the holiday season. And that means that for the next several weeks, the culinary team can bask in the glow of being baseball’s “MVBs”—Most Valuable Bakers. The Otesaga Hotel was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1994 and dates to 1909.

JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District (1912) Savannah, Georgia

Located in a repurposed historic power plant in Savannah, Georgia, that dates to 1912, the elegant JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District is a contemporary and lively riverside retreat. In December, visitors can get into the holiday spirit while taking in the hotel's magnificent gingerbread display, as well as its Savannah Christmas Market, holiday dinners, and cookie decorating. The hotel’s magnificent gingerbread display is an annual tradition, with a fresh design selected each year. This year’s display is a Candy Cargo Ship, an homage to the importance of Georgia’s deepwater port in the city of Savannah and a nod to the importance of transportation for gift-giving during the holidays. The edible gingerbread display depicts a container ship passing by the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, featuring the Savannah River as well as Santa’s helpers from the North Pole assisting Santa and overseeing the delivery of gifts. Executive Pastry Chef Tanya Matta and Pastry Chef Amy McBride produced this year's gingerbread theme and were helped by six additional pastry chefs. Their work began in July 2024, and it took seven days leading up to Thanksgiving to assemble the display, which was unveiled on Friday, November 29. Weighing over 2,000 pounds, the display measures over 6.5 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 12 feet tall at its highest point. In addition to more than 650 pounds of gingerbread and 200 pounds of icing, the display required 700,000 jellybeans and 50 pounds of taffy. The gingerbread display is located in the hotel’s lobby on an elevated platform. JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2022 and was recently the recipient of the Historic Hotels of America Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms) for the 2024 Historic Hotels of America Annual Awards of Excellence.

The Gasparilla Inn & Club (1913) Boca Grande, Florida

During the holiday season, The Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande, Florida, transforms into a festive haven, with its popular Twelve Days of Christmas celebration offering a variety of activities perfect for corporate groups and families alike. From gingerbread house decorating to caroling and holiday films, each day brings a new experience to enjoy. This year, there is much to be grateful for and to celebrate at the historic inn, which was closed for a brief time after the island sustained hurricane damage from Hurricane Milton in October 2024. When it reopened on December 12, 2024, The Gasparilla Inn & Club welcomed guests back to this elegant, coastal retreat with a large patchwork cookie and candy lighthouse on display next to the staircase in the hotel’s lounge. Ribbons of candy, cookies, and frosting designed in the holiday colors of green, red, and gingerbread gold cover the display, from the floor to the top of the lighthouse. The lighthouse glows, with several porthole windows glowing with electric light and the ship-guiding lamp emitting a warm, inviting light. At the bottom of the lighthouse, a miniature door is adorned with an evergreen wreath. Surrounding the lighthouse is a charming beach scene with shells, sand, and azure “water.” Offering guests world-class amenities, beautiful event spaces, and seasonal festivities, The Gasparilla Inn & Club remains one of Florida’s premier destinations for corporate and leisure travelers alike. The Gasparilla Inn & Club was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2007 and dates to 1913.

HOTEL DU PONT (1913) Wilmington, Delaware

The 2024 gingerbread display at HOTEL DU PONT captures the spirit of the holiday season with a warm, inviting scene that transports guests into a festive living and dining room straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting, portraying that there is no place like HOTEL DU PONT for the holidays. The display features a 5-foot-tall Christmas tree and gifts made entirely of gingerbread cookies, framed portraits of the hotel’s staff as the “family,” and an intricate tablescape crafted entirely from gingerbread—complete with plates, utensils, table runner, tiered stand, cookies, and a turkey. The display was made by the hotel's own in-house bakeshop, staffed by 7 pastry chefs. Mixing, rolling, cutting, and shaping the gingerbread took approximately 12 days, while the assembly and outlining took another 10 days. The display can be seen throughout a room measuring approximately 10 feet by 24 feet, but a total of 372 pounds of gingerbread dough was made to complete the display, along with 143 pounds of royal icing. Simple but not simplistic, there are no candies to be seen here; just golden-brown gingerbread and snow-white icing. Guests are encouraged to interact with the display by participating in activities such as guessing the number of cookies on the tree, how many pounds of royal icing were used, and identifying gingerbread cookies that are different on the gingerbread tree. While gingerbread displays have been a tradition at HOTEL DU PONT, this immersive vignette marks a new, interactive addition to the hotel’s holiday offerings, enhancing the guest experience and excitement for the season. HOTEL DU PONT was inducted as a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America in 1989 and dates to 1913.

Omni Grove Park Inn (1913) Asheville, North Carolina

For more than three decades, the Annual National Gingerbread House Competition at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, has brought joy, artistry, and wonder to all who gather to experience it. It has become a hallmark of the holiday season. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the historic mountain resort canceled this year’s event, which it has hosted annually since the 1990s. With the local community facing hardship, the resort decided to do something different. This season, more than 45 competitors will bring their gingerbread creations to be displayed for visitors and locals alike to view, both at the resort and at local businesses. While the pieces will not be professionally judged, this change in format will allow the resort to share the beauty and magic of the competitors’ work with the community during this challenging time. Gingerbread entries were displayed on Saturday, November 23, 2024, and will remain on display throughout Asheville through Sunday, January 5, 2025. According to a statement from the resort, the team is “saddened that we cannot come together formally this year to honor their ginger-works-of-art, but we eagerly look forward to welcoming them back to the hotel in 2025 to celebrate their creativity and passion once more.” Click here to download the map which includes the full list of display locations and directions. Omni Grove Park Inn, built in 1913 and a member of Historic Hotels of America since 2000, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in in 1973.

The Broadmoor (1918) Colorado Springs, Colorado

From life-size trains, chapels, cars, and last year’s canopy boat, The Broadmoor’s annual gingerbread display is a tradition like no other. The tradition began with little gingerbread house displays, then a larger gingerbread village, until The Broadmoor’s gingerbread displays became extravagant celebrations of the season, featuring edible trains, cars, chapels, and—last year—a canopy boat. In 2024, in honor of the 2025 U.S. Senior Open Golf Championship taking place at the resort in June, the iconic gingerbread display is a life-size golf cart, displaying jaw-dropping edible golf-themed architecture and holiday magic that rivals the resort’s spectacular greens. The Broadmoor’s Executive Pastry Chef Franck Labasse, and his team of more than 42 pastry chefs, invites guests and travelers visiting The Broadmoor to view the gingerbread display during the holiday season, through the New Year, in the main building’s mezzanine. The team took about a month to make the pastry components, including macarons, meringues, gingerbread cookies, and choux pastry. After the materials were ready, the display required four days to complete. Notably, The Broadmoor’s gingerbread display includes a lot of chocolate: 164 pounds of dark chocolate, 160 chocolate bars, 40 pounds of silver chocolate, and featuring a dark chocolate steering wheel. Overnight guests and club members at The Broadmoor are invited to view the display until January 1, 2025. Non-overnight visitors are invited to view it Monday through Thursday until December 19, 2024. The Broadmoor was inducted as a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America in 1989 and dates to 1918.

La Fonda (1922) Santa Fe, New Mexico

Every year in mid-December, the decorating maestros at La Fonda roll out a majestic 2.5 foo long, 2.5-foot-wide gingerbread replica of the adobe hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to display in the hotel’s lobby. For decades, the masterpiece was spearheaded by the hotel’s former purchasing manager, Gil Mesa. La Fonda continues the tradition of honoring Mr. Mesa’s legacy during the holiday season. Now, Executive Chef Lane Warner, and Chef de Cuisine Rafael Zamora, carry on Mr. Mesa’s legacy with a detailed stucco structure, featuring traditional décor and details inspired by the hotel’s past. With artistic nods to famous railway hotelier Fred Harvey, pioneering designer and architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, architect John Gaw Meem, and the famous Harvey Girls, the sweet gingerbread scene harkens back to the early days of La Fonda hospitality. After assembly, the culinary crew spends hours crafting powdered-sugar-tipped pine trees, glazed sugar-painted windows (a tribute to artist Ernesto Martinez, best known for his whimsical paintings on the windowpanes in La Plazuela restaurant), and finishing with stiff royal icing, depicting the frosty, high-desert snow of New Mexico. Finally, the display is complete with traditional farolitos illuminated with LED lights to celebrate the holiday season. La Fonda debuts the gingerbread hotel every year in mid-December for both guests and locals alike to enjoy. La Fonda was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1991 and dates to 1922.

Skytop Lodge (1928) Skytop, Pennsylvania

The magnificent gingerbread hotel display at Skytop Lodge in Skytop, Pennsylvania, has been a holiday tradition since 2013, and each year, it has featured a replica of the Main Lodge, with its distinctive porte-cochère. Now in its thirteenth year, the gingerbread display is located in the main lobby of the Main Lodge, and measures approximately 20 feet long, 12 feet wide, and reaches a height of about 12 feet from its base. Production began in August, when the staff started baking gingerbread bricks. The sweet-smelling exterior of the gingerbread house went up on November 1 around a wood frame, and the staff decorated the gingerbread display the week of Thanksgiving. Guests who were present that week were invited to help add candy to the gingerbread lodge. The 2024 Skytop Lodge gingerbread display ingredients totaled 450 pounds of flour, 700 eggs, 13 pounds of spices, 150 pounds of honey, 150 pounds of molasses, 12 pounds of baking soda, 80 pounds of shortening, and 10 pounds of candy decorations. The icing used in the Skytop Lodge gingerbread display required 500 pounds of powdered sugar, pushing the display’s total weight to more than 2,300 pounds! This holiday season, Skytop Lodge guests are invited to enjoy holiday activities, including gingerbread cookie decorating. The gingerbread display will be up through January 8, 2025, and the public is welcome to stop by to see it. Skytop Lodge was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2000 and dates to 1928.

Alisal Ranch (1946) Solvang, California

Alisal Ranch in Solvang, California, partners each year with the Solvang Bakery to create charming gingerbread replicas of the luxury dude ranch’s barn, front office, library, boathouse, and guest cottage. The gingerbread houses are each about a foot wide, and they are arranged in a display with fluffy “snow,” illuminated with fairy lights, and embellished with sparkling baubles and fir boughs. The houses are accompanied by charming ranch details, such as miniature hay bales, horses, friendly Golden Retrievers, and barn cats. These ranch-inspired gingerbread houses are on display in the resort’s dining room from the beginning of December. During the construction, the Solvang Bakery used approximately 100 pounds of gingerbread dough and 75 pounds of icing, to produce the display, which involved the labor of six people, who worked for about three weeks to produce the sweet, miniature dude ranch. In addition to an eye-catching festive display, each guest staying at Alisal Ranch over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will also be gifted a personalized gingerbread house decorating kit, providing a fun family activity to do on-site, or to take home as a keepsake of holiday memories made at Alisal Ranch. Alisal Ranch was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2021 and dates to 1946.

Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection (1939) Williamsburg, Virginia

After several years of featuring smaller gingerbread villages, Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection has built a 6-feet-tall gingerbread display this holiday season. The magnificent gingerbread display was unveiled on November 30, 2024, during a special event for guests and resort visitors. Crafted with over 200 pounds of gingerbread dough and more than 50 pounds of fondant, the display features 1,600 individually placed gingerbread bricks and a roof made of more than 600 hand-cut fondant shingles. The house is adorned with festive candy decorations, including candy canes, gumdrops, licorice, lollipops, Smarties, and chewing gum, making it a true feast for the eyes. Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection is part of Colonial Williamsburg Resorts, which is the recipient of the Historic Hotels of America Best Historic Resort for the 2024 Historic Hotels of America Annual Awards of Excellence. The hotel is part of a collection of historic inns, colonial houses, and hotels at the world’s largest living history museum in Williamsburg, Virginia. Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2000 and dates to 1939.

Hotel Captain Cook (1965) Anchorage, Alaska

Hotel Captain Cook’s gingerbread village has been an annual tradition at the historic Anchorage, Alaska, hotel for more than 45 years, spearheaded by Pastry Chef Joe Hickel between 1978 and 2023. When Hickel retired last year, the gingerbread village was his final project. In 2024, the hotel’s gingerbread village—called Marina's Village—returns to the space outside The Whale’s Tail restaurant with help from culinary students at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Invited to the hotel by its General Manager and given the blessing of the new Head Pastry Chef, the students and their professors dove into the project with the goal of honoring Hickel’s tradition while putting their own spin on the village’s design. Work began in October and the gingerbread display went up on November 27, 2024, just before Thanksgiving. The display of 11 houses is smaller than Hickel’s typical display, which featured up to 50 structures in a year, but the students focused on the details in their work. Each student carefully designed, baked, constructed, and decorated their own house, each with its own quirks, influences, and materials. The collaboration between the hotel and the university was a sweet deal, giving students a chance to showcase their talents and the hotel guests, as well as staff, the opportunity to enjoy another year of gingerbread. Hotel Captain Cook was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2016 and dates to 1965.

“The tradition of gingerbread fairytale houses reportedly started in the United States more than 200 years ago with the German immigrants to Pennsylvania. Today, travelers can view life-size historic hotels, national monuments, historic buildings, and historic main streets made of gingerbread. A large party of people can dine in the more-than-life-size gingerbread house at the Fairmont San Francisco,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Vice President, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “Congratulations to the hundreds of people that worked to create the 2024 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Magnificent Gingerbread Displays. This holiday season, ‘run, run as fast as you can’ and catch the most magnificent gingerbread houses and displays at many Historic Hotels of America.”

About Historic Hotels of America^®

Historic Hotels of America^® is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest historic hotels across the United States of America. The National Trust for Historic Preservation was chartered by U.S. Congress in 1949 and is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is leading the movement to save places where our history happened. To be nominated and selected for membership in this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historical significance. Of the more than 300 historic hotels inducted into Historic Hotels of America from 44 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, all historic hotels faithfully preserve their sense of authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity. For more information, please visit HistoricHotels.org.

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